11:53

"What... What are we supposed to do?" Sakura asked, unable to mask the fear in her voice.

"It seems that he wants us to sacrifice one of our own in order to get free..." Shikamaru mumbled while looking at the collars and the machines roaring behind everyone.

"No, we're not doing anything like that." Naruto stated, "We just have to work together. There has to be another way to get free."

"How do we even know Orochimaru is telling the truth about these little explosives that he proclaims are inside us?" Kiba said, "For all we know, he could be bluffing."

"Kiba," Shino called to his teammate, "Do you really think you wanna take that risk, and call him on his bluff? I don't think any of us do."

"I agree." Said Shikamaru, "The last thing we need is for someone to die trying to prove a false claim."

"So, then what do we do?" Choji asked.

"I have an idea." Sasuke suddenly spoke up. Everyone looked at him.

"Let's hear it." Said Shikamaru.

"Wait!" Kiba growled, "The last thing we need to do is to listen to the likes of him! For all we know, he could be working with Orochimaru and try to get us killed!"

"I agree with the Inuzuka." Neji said, "Sasuke is a traitor. Last we seen of him, he decided to side with Orochimaru."

"But he wouldn't be in here with us if he was going to help us get killed." Lee stated.

"That might be what they want us to think..." Tenten mumbled.

"But no one else is coming up with ideas." Sakura said, "And I think we need all the ideas we can get."

"But he can be setting us up!" Kiba retaliated, "Once a traitor, always a traitor!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

11:02

"Alright," Shikamaru sighed, "We can all go back and forth on this forever. But since we don't have much time, I say we come to a vote. Raise your hands if you want to listen to what Sasuke has to say."

Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, Naruto, Lee, Hinata, and Sasuke himself raised their hands.

"You don't get to vote, Uchiha." Neji hissed.

"It doesn't matter." Shikamaru said, "Excluding Sasuke, there's still six people that voted to hear him out. Majority rules."

Anyone who didn't raise their hands were either upset, or nervous.

"What's your plan, Sasuke?" Shikamaru asked.

"I say that everybody get as close to the machines as you can. I'll go out and see if I can grab the key. Since the key can fit all of our collars, we can all just all pass the key around if I get it." Sasuke explained.

"...Oh, you have got to be kidding me." Kiba sneered.

"Do you have any other ideas?" Sasuke replied with a small glare.

"No, I don't. But how do we know we can trust you? How do we know that as soon as we get close to those... things, you wont give it an extra tug and kill us all?"

10:35

"He has a point." Tenten chided in.

"I wouldn't do anything like that." Sasuke protested, "That would be stupid. The rest of these 'games' probably need more than one person in the future, so we need all the numbers we can get."

"Wait, that's actually not a bad plan." Shikamaru mumbled, earning him almost a half of a dozen glares, "However... we need someone we can trust to try to get that key. Sorry Sasuke, I may have stuck up for you to hear you out, but I still don't trust you as far as I can throw you."

Sasuke said nothing.

"I'll do it." Sakura offered.

Shikamaru shook his head, "Sorry, but we need a male to do it. Females have shorter arms, with all due respect."

"So I'll do it." Naruto said.

Again, Shikamaru shook his head, "No offense, Naruto, but everyone here has seen an example of your clumsiness. You're a fine shinobi, but I don't think we should take that risk. We need someone patient, and with excellent and precise bodily control." He looked at Hinata's cousin, "I say that Neji should do it."

No one had a disapproval of that plan.

"Yeah," Sakura agreed, "I've looked at everyone's medical records in the past, and I think that Neji has the greatest arm length here. He's the tallest too, I think."

10:10

"Alright, so that settles it." Shikamaru said, "Everyone get as close to the machines as possible without harming yourself. Neji, you go out and try to grab that key. Just don't tug on the chain you're tied to. Our lives are in your hands."

"I wont fail." Neji promised. Everyone got into position, sitting with their backs facing approximately two to three inches away from the razor sharp spinning gears behind them.

Neji kneeled down and crawled toward the rusty key lying in the middle of the floor. He does this slowly and carefully, making sure to halt all actions as soon as he feels resistance from his collar.

As Neji inched himself closer to the key, Hinata's eyes began to tear up. The machine was so loud in her ear. She could feel the wind radiating off the spinning gears against her back.

She didn't want to die. Not like this.

"Neji, please be careful..." She whimpered. Neji looked at his younger cousin and gave her a small smile.

"Don't worry, Hinata. We'll all get out of this."

As he took another step closer, he felt resistance in his collar. And everyone felt the very small tug on theirs.

"These chains are very sensitive to movement, I see." Shikamaru thought to himself. Neji was about four or five feet away from the key. He tried reaching out, but still couldn't come close to grabbing the key.

"Try turning around and grabbing it with your foot." Sasuke offered. While Neji didn't want to admit it, it was a good idea; legs are longer than arms, after all. He turns around, now stretching his leg out to attempt to catch they key with his foot. Despite this, he was still a good foot away from the key.

After seconds of stretching his leg out, he stopped his attempts and sighed, "I cannot get it. Not without pulling on my collar some more."

"I figured it wouldn't be that easy..." Shikamaru sighed, "Alright, come back so we can move away from these machines."

9:02

"Three minutes passed, and we still didn't get anything accomplished." Kiba huffed.

"Just relax and lets think. Keep thoughts like that out of your head, because they wont help."

"...Right." Kiba mumbled. He then perked up and looked at Shino. "Hey, Shino, can't you get one your bugs to get the key to us?"

Everyone looked at Shino, to see his answer.

"No." Shino stated, "I have no insects at my disposal, Orochimaru must have stripped us all of anything useful while we were unconscious."

"But aren't you, like, made of bugs...?" Ino asked.

Shino gave her a glance, a bit offended at that question, "No. I can produce them at my whim, but that requires the use of my chakra."

"Oh." Ino murmured. "Geez, all of us are practically useless without our chakra..."

"Wait, Lee can use some of his techniques without chakra!" Naruto said, looking at the Taijutsu master, "Right, Lee?"

"Yes, Naruto-san," Lee said before sighing, "However, I've tried everything to get out of this collar while most of you were unconscious. My strength alone cannot break these chains."

"Damn..." Naruto groaned.

8:33

The blonde jinchuuriki then looked at the man sitting directly across from him.

"Sasuke." Naruto called to him, earning his attention, "What gives? What exactly is Orochimaru up to? Why would he throw you in here if he wants to use you?"

"He's not using me." Sasuke replied, "I'm using him. And the hell if I know what he's up to. But he's gone too far with this stunt, and the minute I get out of here, he's dead."

"We have to find a plan to get out of these collars before anyone can do anything." Said the only Jounin in the group.

Everyone went silent for a while, trying to figure out their escape.

"I guess we have to play along with Orochimaru's rules of this game." Said Sasuke.

"What do you mean?" Asked Naruto.

"He said that either all of us will sacrifice one for the sake of others, or the survival instincts of one will overcome all others. In other words, either eleven people will make it out alive, or only one will. Or none of us if we don't come to a decision in eight minutes. So, I think that it would only be common sense if we chose the option that allowed most of us to get free."

"...You're not... actually saying that we should sacrifice someone here... are you, Sasuke?" Sakura gasped with wide eyes.

"There's no way that all twelve of us can make it out of this room." He said, "I believe that's Orochimaru's intention. To see if you all are willing to make that sacrifice."

"Wait, what do you mean 'you all'?" Questioned Neji with a grimace.

"I'm willing to do what I have to do to survive. If none of you are, then we're all gonna die here today."

Quite a few people were about to protest against Sasuke's words, until, "...He's right."

7:52

Everyone, saved for Sasuke, looked at Shikamaru questioningly, "What do you mean he's right?!" Kiba exclaimed.

"I hate to say it, but Sasuke is dead on about everything he said. It's as Ino said; without our chakra, we can't escape from these collars. And the only way to get free is through sacrificing someone, or getting that key, but it looks like Orochimaru made it so that it can't be passed around without the rest of the group dying. And if we do nothing, we all die regardless. But there's one thing that I have a problem with regarding what he said."

He then looked at Sasuke, "We're not sacrificing anyone, Sasuke. We're all friends and comrades here. And I think it goes for everyone here, except maybe you perhaps, that we're all going to make it out together, or we're all gonna die together trying. We're from Konoha, and I despise the idea of doing something barbaric like killing off one just so the rest of us can benefit. Either we all go, or none of us will."

Ten nods circled the room in agreement.

"...Foolish." Sasuke sneered, "So you all are going to just wait for that counter to go down and wait for your impending deaths because none of you are willing to take a small loss of the group over a big one?"

"That's right." Naruto stated. "No one deserves to get left behind."

"..."

Suddenly, Sasuke launched forward for the key, catching everyone off guard. Their chains reacted, and pulled them closer to the sharp and spinning gears.

Had it not have been for Choji's large size and strength, causing it to become easier for him to catch a grip on the floor, everyone except Sasuke would have been ripped apart.

Choji caught his footing inches away from the machine, and pulled against Sasuke, who was reaching for the key.

"Everyone, pull!" Exclaimed Choji. Everyone else managed to stand up and pull against the collars along with him.

Sasuke eventually got pulled back by his collar and lands on his back, unable to fight against everyone's strength.

"Sasuke, what the hell?!" Naruto bursted as he rubbed his throat from the collar that choked him.

6:40

"You almost killed us all!" Shikamaru said.

"...What would it matter to you?" Coughed Sasuke, "You all are willing to die, anyway. If you guys want to be foolish and kill yourselves, be my guest. But don't drag me down with you."

"That was a bold stunt you pulled, Uchiha." Neji growled.

Before Shikamaru could say anything, "Hey, I say we get rid of Sasuke!"

Sasuke shot a sharp glare at Kiba.

"I mean, since Sasuke doesn't want to be a part of us, and almost killed us all without hesitation, I say we get rid of the traitor and we can all get free without him!"

"I agree." Said Tenten, "What Sasuke did just now was... unforgivable."

"Same here." Added Shino, "He's proven to us that he doesn't want to be a part of us more than once."

"I also agree." Said Neji, "There is no sense in all of us dying if we can rid ourselves of someone who clearly betrayed and fought against us, not only once, but twice. Sasuke is now dead weight and needs to be punished like he should have three years ago."

To everyone's surprise, even Lee nodded, "Punishment would be most deserving to you, Sasuke-san. I apologize, but you should not be rewarded for such selfish acts."

Choji, Hinata, Shikamaru, and even Ino nodded.

"Ino...?!" Sakura exclaimed.

Ino closed her eyes and sighed, "He just tried to kill us, Sakura. And it doesn't look like he'd feel bad about doing it afterwords. I may have liked him in the past, but... this isn't the same Sasuke that we fought each other for three years ago..."

"But..." Mumbled Sakura, "we can't just kill him like this..."

"Why the hell not?" Replied Kiba, "You can see Sasuke had no problem doing it to us!"

Sakura had nothing to say.

"I guess you left us with no choice, Sasuke." Shikamaru sighed, "I tried giving you a chance, in the circumstance that you may not be a complete traitor. But whatever trust or respect I had for you is gone. Sorry to say it, but its time to say goodbye. Forever."

6:01

"W-Wait..." Sasuke uncharacteristically mumbled in fear, "You don't have to do this..."

"As I said before, you left us with no choice."

Shikamaru was just about to tell everyone to pull on their chains to send Sasuke through the grinding machines, until...

"Stop. No one is killing anyone."

Kiba looked at his friend, "Naruto, are you kidding me?! He just tried to-"

"I said stop." Naruto said lowly, "I'm asking you guys nicely to stop what you're all about to do."

"I'm sorry, Uzumaki-san." Neji told him, "But Sasuke must pay for wh-"

"Guys, please." Naruto growled, avoiding eye contact with everyone, "Please... just stop. Please... don't get me angry..."

"Naruto, c'mon! He-"

"Kiba, shut it!" Shikamaru warned him. "Don't make Naruto angry..."

"Why?" Tenten asked, wondering why his voice sounded so cautious.

"It's the Kyuubi's chakra..." Sakura mumbled, "When Naruto gets angry, it starts to leak out... and telling by what Orochimaru said earlier, we really shouldn't make Naruto mad, not only for his sake, but for everyone's..."

Everyone soon got on the same page and looked at Naruto carefully. They could see his jaw muscles tightening from his clenched teeth.

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata whispered to him, "Please, calm down. We're not going to hurt Sasuke, we just don't know what to do..."

Naruto let out a long sigh, "...I don't want anyone hurting each other. We were all from the same village, we shouldn't turn against each other in desperate times like this."

Kiba and a few others wisely kept their comments about Sasuke turning against them to themselves.

"...So Orochimaru thought this through, as well." Shikamaru thought, "He knew we'd try to take out someone that betrayed us, but also knew how Naruto would react if we did that, considering how Naruto still considers him a friend... These explosives or whatever inside us are not only to make it harder to escape, but to hinder us from making any easy decisions." He groaned, "We're dealing with a sick genius. Ugh, troublesome doesn't even begin to describe this..."

Shikamaru then looked at the timer.

5:19

"Damn it...! Only five more minutes... C'mon Shika, think..."

"Hey..." Kiba said suddenly, "Orochimaru said that the container or whatever collects liquid and stuff through these machines, right?" Shikamaru nodded, "Well, what if we piss into the machines?"

"... Kiba, this is no time for your perverted jokes." Ino complained.

Kiba shook his head, "I'm not joking! I'm serious. Orochimaru never said anything specific about what liquid has to be put into the container."

"It's a nice thought." Shikamaru said, "But the human body can only release about sixteen ounces of urine in one period on a full bladder. Even with all of us combined, it wont be able to fill three gallons."

"Oh." Mumbled Kiba. He then sighed, "I guess we're all screwed."

"N-No, there has to be a way we can all make it...!" Hinata pleaded.

No one had a response for Hinata.

"Wait, Shikamaru," Said the cherry blossom, "Doesn't the average human body only contain about 1.8 gallons of blood in them?"

"Just about, yeah." Said Shikamaru.

"So, even if one of us does go into that machine... will it actually be enough to free us?"

Everyone looked at Shikamaru to see his answer.

He sighed, "I'm going to try and make this sound as less gruesome as I possibly can." He started, "These machines aren't going to collect just our blood. It'll collect everything in the human body; bones, organs, mucus, fat, everything. These machines are going to grind all of that up like a blender, and it'll be just about enough to fill the container and free everyone else."

"Aw, dude..." Kiba complained with a disgusted face. Many other people in the room looked disgusted as well.

"This is so messed up..." Tenten said, "I know Orochimaru was sick, but Kami..."

"We're all gonna die here." Sasuke grumbled.

"Shut it." Said Shikamaru, "Not if we come up with a plan first."

"I already gave a plan, but no one else wants to-"

"A plan that involves all of us making it out of this." Shikamaru interrupted with a sharp glance. Sasuke scoffed and continued to sit and meditate with closed eyes.


*4 minutes later*

"It's gonna be okay, Hinata..." Sakura tried consoling the crying Hinata beside her, fighting tears of her own.

"I... I-I don't want it to end like this..." Hinata sobbed. Sakura wanted to tell her that it would be okay. That they would all make it out of this. But Sakura couldn't bring herself to say it.

She knew that, in less than a minute, all of them would die a very gruesome death.

Ino was in a similar state as Hinata, and Shikamaru, being closest to her, tried to console her as well.

"This can't be happening." Mumbled Naruto, "No... There has to be a way. We can't lose hope just yet."

"Look around you, Naruto!" Kiba shouted, "It's game over for us! We have less than forty-five seconds of life left before we get turned into mincemeat!" He then sighed, "It was nice knowing you all. At least we didn't take the low road and sacrifice someone."

"That's right." Said Neji, "We shall all perish with clean spirits, and no blood on our hands."

"..." Lee suddenly stood up, looking down at the ground, "I will not let this happen."

Everyone noticed the lack of his usual upbeat tone, "Lee...? What are you doing?" Tenten asked.

0:30

Lee gave a sad smile to his teammates, "If there is one thing that being a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village has taught me, it is knowing when to make a sacrifice for the ones you care about. I cannot bear knowing that we all will perish without much of a fight."

"L-Lee, stop speaking nonsense..." Neji ordered hesitantly.

Lee only gave Neji the same smile he gave Tenten, "You are all amazing shinobi and kunoichi. And I know you will all find a way out of here."

"Bushy-Brow..." Naruto mumbled, "You're not gonna do what I think you're gonna do, are ya...?"

Naruto received the same sad smile, "Lotus' do not live forever. And if one must perish for the sake of the rest of the garden then so be it."

Then, to everyone's disbelief, Lee closed his eyes and hopped back...

...head-first into the grinders.

"LEE, NO!" Tenten screamed.

The sight was sickening. The machine devoured him. His blood stained the machines, the white room, and some of the other shinobi's clothing. Some tried to look away, but their shock acted as glue to their eyes. The sounds of his bones crunching and grinding, and his bodily fluids and organs squishing around tore into everyone's eardrums.

It was gruesome. Absolutely messy.

Ino, Naruto, Choji, Sakura, Tenten, Hinata, Neji, and Kiba all felt there stomachs churn, causing them to vomit at the sight.

Tenten collapsed and looked up at the ceiling, "Kami... why...? Why Lee...?"

It was then that she glimpsed at the timer.

0:08

It was still counting down.

"W-Wait, the collars still aren't coming off!" Naruto exclaimed, pulling on his collar. Everyone panicked and started doing the same.

0:07

"You mean to tell me that Orochimaru tricked us?!"

0:06

"S-Shit...!"

0:05

"N-No...!"

0:04

"No, Lee couldn't have died for nothing!"

0:03

"Nothing is working...!"

0:02

"Damn you, Orochimaru!"

0:01

"NO!"

0:00

All of the remaining collars attached to the chains retracted back into the machines.

But no one was dragged along with them.

Shikamaru slowly opened his eyes, expecting to be dead. He looked around, and saw that everyone else was doing the same.

The room was silent for a while, as everyone had to come back to the realization that they weren't dead.

"...S-So I guess it did work..." Sakura stuttered.

"They must've unlocked right before the time hit zero..." Shikamaru sighed. Each timer's screens froze at '0:00', and the machines slowed to a halt as well.

"Shit..." Kiba gasped, having a hard time gaining his breath.

"Congrats, young ones. Those of you still alive have survived the first game." Orochimaru's voice cheered over the voice speaker, "Let's just hope that you're as fortunate in the next one..."